The Circumcision and Passover at Gilgal 1 UST The leaders of the Amorites and Canaanites heard about how Yahweh had dried up the water of the Jordan River in front of the Israelites so that they could cross it. Those leaders included all the kings of the Amorites who{ lived} on the west side of the Jordan River, toward the{ Great} Sea. They also included all the kings of the Canaanites, who{ lived} close to the{ Great} Sea. When those kings heard{ what Yahweh had done}, they became very afraid and no longer desired to fight{ the Israelites}. BSB BSB: Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard how the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the Israelites until they had crossed over, their hearts melted and their spirits failed for fear of the Israelites.
2 UST While{ the Israelites were staying at Gilgal,} Yahweh said to Joshua,“{ Someone had circumcised the Israelite males who lived in Egypt before they left there. Now} make knives from flint stones and circumcise all the Israelite males whom no one has yet circumcised.” BSB BSB: At that time the LORD said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the sons of Israel once again.”
3 UST So Joshua{ commanded the people} to make knives from flint stones and circumcise the Israelite males at{ a place that people now call} Circumcision Hill. BSB BSB: So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the sons of Israel at Gibeath-haaraloth.
4 UST This is why they circumcised the Israelite males at this time. All of the men who left Egypt, all those old enough to be soldiers, had died in the desert after they left Egypt. BSB BSB: Now this is why Joshua circumcised them: All those who came out of Egypt—all the men of war—had died on the journey in the wilderness after they had left Egypt.
5 UST Someone had circumcised those men when they were children in Egypt. But no one had circumcised the boys whose mothers gave birth to them while they were in the wilderness, after they left Egypt. BSB BSB: Though all who had come out were circumcised, none of those born in the wilderness on the journey from Egypt had been circumcised.
6 UST The people of Israel traveled through the wilderness for 40 years, until all the men who were old enough to be soldiers, who had left Egypt, had died. This happened because they had not obeyed Yahweh. So Yahweh swore to them that they would not be able to enter the land that he had promised to our ancestors. He said that he would give that very fertile land to us, their descendants. BSB BSB: For the Israelites had wandered in the wilderness forty years, until all the nation’s men of war who had come out of Egypt had died, since they did not obey the LORD. So the LORD vowed never to let them see the land He had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.
7 UST The sons of those who had disobeyed Yahweh were the ones whom Joshua and other Israelite leaders circumcised{ at Gilgal}. They circumcised them there because no one had done that while they were traveling in the wilderness. BSB BSB: And He raised up their sons in their place, and these were the ones Joshua circumcised. Until this time they were still uncircumcised, since they had not been circumcised along the way.
8 UST After the leaders had circumcised all the Israelite males, they remained in the camp and rested until they had healed. BSB BSB: And after all the nation had been circumcised, they stayed there in the camp until they were healed.
9 UST Then Yahweh said to Joshua,“People thought badly of you because they considered you to be just former Egyptian slaves. But now I have made you a distinct nation.” Because of that, people called that place Gilgal, and it still has that name even now. BSB BSB: Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So that place has been called Gilgal to this day.
10 UST On the evening of the fourteenth day of that month, while the people of Israel were staying at Gilgal, on the plain near the city of Jericho, they celebrated the Passover festival. BSB BSB: On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while the Israelites were camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, they kept the Passover.
11 UST The day after they celebrated the Passover festival, they gathered barley grain in that area. They made some of the barley grain into unleavened bread and ate, and they roasted and ate some of it. BSB BSB: The day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate unleavened bread and roasted grain from the produce of the land.
12 UST The next day,{ Yahweh} stopped{ sending} manna for the people of Israel{ to eat}. From then on, they ate food that grew in the land of Canaan. BSB BSB: And the day after they had eaten from the produce of the land, the manna ceased. There was no more manna for the Israelites, so that year they began to eat the crops of the land of Canaan.
The Commander of the LORD’s Army 13 UST One day, when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw someone who appeared to be a man standing in front of him. The man was holding a sword in his hand. Joshua approached him and asked him,“Are you going to fight for us or against us?” BSB BSB: Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in His hand. Joshua approached Him and asked, “Are You for us or for our enemies?”
14 UST The man replied,“I am not a soldier in any human army. Rather, I am the commander of Yahweh’ s army. I have come{ here to help you}.” Then Joshua very respectfully got down on his knees and touched his face to the ground. Joshua said to him,“What do you want me to do? I will do it.” BSB BSB: “Neither,” He replied. “I have now come as Commander of the LORD’s army.” Then Joshua fell facedown in reverence and asked Him, “What does my Lord have to say to His servant?”
15 UST The commander of Yahweh’ s army replied,“The ground on which you are standing is holy{ because I am here}. So take off your sandals.” So Joshua took off his sandals. BSB BSB: The Commander of the LORD’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.